BEAN SALAD

1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can navy beans
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Dissolve sugar, mustard and salt into the vinegar. Add all beans, pepper and onion. Toss. Cover with oil and toss again. Refrigerate. The salad is always best on the second or third day so best prepared in advance.

SPINNACH AND BUTTERNUT SALAD

Spinnach

Butternut

Cottage cheese or crumbled feta

Toasted pine nuts

Oil

Salt and pepper

Cumin

Ginger

Cinnamon

Allspice

Brown sugar (if you like)

Wash spinnach and toss into oil. Cut butternut into cubes, toss in oil, sprinkle with cumin, ginger, at 180C for about 40 minutes. Allow to cool a little and turn out onto bed of spinnach. Crumble some feta or spoon a little cottage cheese on top and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Finish with freshly ground black pepper.

GRILLED AUBERGINE AND GREEN OLIVE SALAD

1 Japanese eggplant or regular aubergine, cut into thin rounds

Mixed salad leaves

Handful of green olives

Handful of pine nuts, toasted

Low-fat cottage cheese

Freshly-ground black pepper

For the dressing:

1 large bunches of fresh corriander

1 large bunch fresh dill

3 tablespoons honey mustard

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup white wine

Salt

Blend together dressing ingredients. Assemble salad and drizzle with dressing. Top with olives and toasted pine nuts.

CHILI NON-CARNI

Olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
10 small red chilis, de-seeded and chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
Chili powder
Cinnamon powder
Cumin
Thyme
Cloves
Cocoa
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
375g red lentils
2 tbsp tomato paste
Cheddar or mozzarella garnish


Lightly oil the bottom of a large cooking pot. Saute onion, garlic, chilis and capsicum. Once soft and onions are translucent, add spices and cocoa. Add dried lentils, and cover with water. When water is reduced add tomatoes. Add water, as needed, until lentils are cooked through. Add tomato paste and beans. (I normally add a few other vegetables that I have in the fridge, which "need to be used" - carrots or corn for example.) Salt and add more spices according to taste. Sprinkle with cheese or a dollop of yogurt and chopped corriander to garnish. Makes about 6 - 8 servings and can be kept in the fridge for a week.

WATERMELON JUICE

Okay, maybe this one is sort of obvious (put watermelon in the blender). But I had never tried watermelon this way before I moved to Singapore and I never thought to make my own until last weekend. The colour (unphotoshopped, by the way) is as amazing as the fact that something so basic can taste so good and sweet - even without adding sugar.

SHITAKE MUSHROOMS ON TOFU

Tofu squares
Mushrooms
Japanese eggplant
Blackbean paste
Sweet soy sauce
Garlic clove
Crushed ginger
Water
Oil

To prepare the sauce, singe the outsides of the japanese eggplant under a grill. Transfer immediately to a bowl of icewater and slide the skin off. Use a hand blender to blend the flesh of the eggplant together with two tablespoons of blackbean paste, one clove of garlic, two tablespoons of fresh crushed ginger and one tablespoon of sweet soy sauce. Add water to thin the mixture, to your taste. Set aside.

Quickly heat tofu squares in a wok and then keep them warm in the oven, on low heat.

Saute the mushrooms in the wok with a small amount of oil. Let them soften for about ten minutes and then add the sauce. Heat the mixture through and spoon over tofu when ready.

WARM CABBAGE SALAD

1/2 head of cabbage, chopped into fine strips

1 cup blackeyed peas, cooked

1/2 onion, chopeed into fine strips

olive oil

rubbed sage

salt

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Warm about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a wok or deep frying pan. Add onions and cabbage. Let sit until softened and browned in parts. Toss the mixture, adding more oil, if needed, as the amount reduces. Once it is cooked through (usually about 4-5 minutes), add rubbed sage, salt and blackeyed peas. Serve warm.

BASIL PESTO

3 large bunches basil

about 50g parmesan cheese

about 75g toasted pine nuts

2 large cloves garlic

olive oil to facilitate blending

salt, if necessary

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Blend and store in a sealed container. Usually lasts 2 weeks or more. Mixture can be "diluted" with olive oil and is a perfect compliment to pasta, potatoes, rice and couscous; or as a filling to stuff mushrooms. I like it best very simply - on bread.

IRISH SODA BREAD (AND THEN SOME)

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup skim milk (add a dash of vinegar and let stand one minute)

1 teaspoon baking soda

two tablespoons brown sugar, dash of cloves and a handfull of oats (not traditional)

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Combine ingredients. Add milk and mix until it becomes a ball of dough. Roll into a ball and pat down, slightly. Cook at 220C for 20 - 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

RICH MUSHROOM SAUCE

Adapted from a classic French recipe, there is no cream in this sauce and it can be paired with pasta, rice, omlette or whatever else you choose.

about 10 mushrooms

1 clove of garlic, crushed

dash of olive oil

1 cup plain yogurt (may be non-fat)

1 egg yolk

rubbed sage

salt and pepper

Over medium heat, saute garlic in oil until caramelised. Add mushroom until they are soft. Then sprinkle in rubbed sage - normally about a tablespoon. Beat egg yolk into half the amount of yogurt. Add slowly to mushrooms, mixing all the while. Then add second half of yougurt and salt and pepper to taste.

STUFFED BUTTERNUT

1 medium-large butternut, washed

1 cup red lentils

1 small onion

1 small red bell pepper

10 - 15 black olives

olive oil

salt and pepper

basil

shredded mozarella or parmesan cheese

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Cut butternut, length-wise and place open-side up on a lightly-oiled cooking tray. Roast at 200C for about one hour. (This will depend on the size of the butternut.) Once the insides are soft enough, scoop out the pulp. In a saucepan, boil red lentils with salt, about 10 minutes or until soft. Saute onion and red pepper in oil. Add pitted olives to the mixture and puree. Combine this mixture with lentils. Add dried basil and a little cheese. Pour mixture into butternut skins. Top with additional cheese and pepper. Return to oven until tops are lightly browned.

SERIOUS BRAN MUFFINS

You have to love these muffins for what's on the inside. They're not very good-looking but they're high in fibre, good carbs, a little protein and a little sugar. The recipe is enough to make 12 muffins but I make 6 uber-large ones. I freeze them in separate baggies and take one to work on the days I do muay thai.
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1 3/4 cups All-Bran cereal
1/2 whole oats
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 1/2 tablespoon flax seed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt
1 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1 banana, mashed
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
chopped dates, cherries, apricots, nuts (as desired)

Combine All-Bran, oats and flax seed. Cover with all wet ingredients. Let stand until cereal is softened. Add chopped fruit and nuts, salt, baking powder and soda. Stir in oat bran. (You may find you use a little more or a little less, to get a drier or more moist muffin. Spray 12-cup of 6-jumbo-cup muffin tran with non-fat cooking spray. Fill cups with batter and bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 220C.

CRANBERRY SPINNACH SALAD

Spinnach leaves, washed
Dried cranberries
Almond slivers, toasted
Extra virgin olive oil
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Toss all ingredients together.

CREAMY SWEETCORN SOUP

Sweet potato gives this soup its thickness. It is virtually fat-free.

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1 sweet potato

flourets from one large head of cauliflower

1 can sweetcorn, drained

1 vegetable stock cube

1 large onion

skim milk

salt and pepper

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Cut sweet potato into small pieces and place in a large cooking pot. Add flourets from one large head of cauliflower, chopped onion and vegetable stock cube. Fill with just enough water that ingredients "peek through" the top. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until potato is tender. Add sweet corn and blend. Add skim milk until the mixture is desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

HELEN'S CHICKPEA CASSEROLE

This inaugural posting is in honour of Helen, who is moving to Korea on Friday and from whom I regularly steal vegetarian recipes.

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1 cup dried chickpeas

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium red onions, cut into wedges

half of one large pumpkin, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

thyme (powder) to taste

rind of 2 lemons

1 1/2 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock

10 cherry tomatoes

large handful of baby spinach

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Place chickpeas in a bowl. Cover with cold water. Stand overnight in a cool place. Drain and rinse under cold water. Preheat oven to 180C/260F. Place chickpeas in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain. Set aside. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based flameproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add onion and pumpkin. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and thyme. Stir to combine. Add chickpeas, stock and tomatoes and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with lemon rind. Roast for 30 minutes or until pumpkin and chickpeas are tender. Remove from oven. Stir in spinach.